Nine people were hospitalised after a freak thunderstorm hit Venice Beach, California on Sunday

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A surfer was killed while surfing off Venice Beach, California yesterday after being hit by lightning.

Eight others were hospitalised after the unexpected storm struck at 2.50pm, including a 15-year-old boy.

The beach was closed while lifeguards immediately banded together – giving CPR to victims and scouring the water for others.

According to surf website The Inertia, this local surfer was 20 yards away when the lightning struck the 20-year-old victim.

Lifeguards on the scene of the strike. Photo: Steve Christensen

Witnesses told the Daily Mail that the storm “came out of nowhere”.

Photographer Steve Christensen said: “Our neighbor pulled a body out of the surf just now. North of the Pier where the lightning struck. The body drifted north all the way up to 26th. The body was found about an hour after the lighting strike.”

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